Erasmus Hall's Shaquell Jackson had a career-high 217 yards on 13 carries with three touchdowns against Boys High.Denis Gostev

Shaquell Jackson’s career at Erasmus Hall has been marked by two things: tremendous talent and frustrating injuries.

Thought of early in his career as one of the new great New York City running backs, Jackson struggled to stay on the field with leg injuries as a sophomore and junior. He’s been mostly healthy this year and there’s no coincidence that Erasmus Hall went 6-3 and is on the brink of getting to Yankee Stadium.

Jackson had a career-high 217 yards on 13 carries with three touchdowns to lead the Dutchmen to a 26-10 win over Boys & Girls in the PSAL City Championship division quarterfinals Saturday at Sid Luckman Field. He was also big in the postseason as a sophomore coming back from an ankle injury when E-Hall went to the semis. That’s where it’ll be this Saturday at noon against host Tottenville.

“He needed to do that,” Erasmus Hall star quarterback/safety Wayne Morgan said. “He always comes up big in the playoffs, so I expect it because I’ve been playing with him since I was about 8-years-old. That’s my best friend so I’m not surprised. I expect that from him.”

Boys & Girls had been excellent against the run all season. But the well-built Jackson, a unique combination of power and speed, had his way. The senior opened the scoring for with a 15-yard run with 5:32 left in the first quarter, extended the lead to 12-2 with a 78-yard dash with 8:09 remaining before the half and capped things with a 44-yard rushing touchdown with just 1:10 left in the game.

“I wouldn’t take all the yards for myself,” Jackson said. “The line helped me do what I had to do and we got a big win. They were blitzing it two ways and we saw we can get to the outside as long as the tackles and guards made their blocks and sealed it off then we can seal the deal and get in the end zone.”

Jackson is getting Division I looks and this might have been his breakthrough after so many false starts due to injury. Erasmus Hall coach Danny Landberg said he and the coaching staff sent his highlight tape to Maryland, Landberg’s alma mater, and the coaches there liked what they saw. They want to see more and the Boys & Girls victory might be just the ticket.

“This,” Landberg said, “was his big game.”

Semifinal berth a boon for Clinton: The Governors first final four since 1989 meant a great deal to eighth-year coach Howard Langley. He was happy for his players, present and past. But he also thinks it could help him in the future, too.

“Hopefully, kids from The Bronx will start coming to Clinton and forget about everyone else,” he said.

Clinton is at this point because two key players – quarterback Ryan Camilo and running back/cornerback Stephen Obeng-Agyapong – did. Camilo was supposed to attend Clinton out of high school, but picked Cardinal Hayes instead.

He landed at Clinton in September after financial problems and has been a revelation. Agyapong has been a Governor for four years, choosing Clinton over John F. Kennedy to get out of the shadow of his older brother, Stephen, now a junior cornerback at Penn State.

They are just a few of the rarities, Langley said. Furthermore, Clinton rarely inherits kids with any prior experience.

“We do more with less,” the coach said. “Everyone is homegrown.”

MSIT coach content with Cup decision: McKee/Staten Island Tech is back in the Cup division championship game, its closest game was a 14-0 win over Evander Childs and it has outscored the opposition 326-50 so far.

Naturally, there have been whispers wondering if the Seagulls really belong in the Cup. Anthony Cialdella doesn’t want to hear them.

“We’re building a football program,” the fourth-year coach said. “For me to sit here in what I feel is the baby stages of building a football program and putting us a in a situation where we might not be as successful. … I’m trying to get kids to come out and play football. Nobody wants to play for a loser. We’re winning games and we’re drawing kids from both schools, especially the Staten Island Tech side.”

The biggest difference between now and when he took over is roster numbers. He has more than 40 players on the varsity, compared to 18 his first season. That’s a byproduct, he said, of last year’s title.

“It was in our best interest to continue to play at this level,” Cialdella said.

MSIT has to coach up its players. Unlike Tottenville and Curtis, which are flooded with Pop Warner kids, the only players on the varsity with any prior football experience are quarterback Thomas Ferranola and linebacker Kristian Larsen. To attend Staten Island Tech, students need to take a placement test, unlike the other schools on the Island.

Cialdella is somewhat surprised MSIT went undefeated this year and did so in such a way. Running back Ivan Cooper, who had two long touchdown runs in the 24-0 semifinals victory over Petrides, emerged as a game-breaker. The secondary, which graduated three integral players, has become elite, with Nick Casale, Fernando Salomons and Charles Donigbinde taking up major roles.

Even if the Seagulls repeat as Cup Champions on Sunday, even if they do so in impressive fashion, Cialdella said he isn’t sure if he wants to move to the Bowl.

“That will be something we will discuss with the league and in our coaches’ office,” he said. “I don’t want to give anybody any hints.”